-New Structures have name plaques on the building and that is a perceived legacy of some elected officials;

.

-What impact do large, new facilities have on future Property Taxes paid by local citizens for maintenance and operation needs;

.

E.FUTURE PLANNING:

.

-Often one hears that a new facility will provide for “next fifty years” but is that really what happens?

.

a.The current jail was built less than twenty years after the one that was torn down; the 1980’a model had modal expansion (Pods) possibilities;

.

“Old 19 Year Old Jail” Torn Down for New Jail

.

b. The current leaders seem interested in replacing a courthouse that was extensively renovated and expanded in the late nineties, or less than 20 years ago;

.

c. Do current officials presume to be smarter than past and future county officials – really something to think about!

.

F. POLITICS:

.

-Often times new facilities are driven by egos and politics;

.

-Who benefits from sale of land for a courthouse- are there political connections?Where? Will it be more accessible to major traffic arteries? State law requires the courthouse to be located in the county seat, i.e. City of Watkinsville;

.

-Do citizens really see public facilities as Memorials to current officials?

.

E.TIMING OF SPLOST VOTE:

.

-We started hearing about SPLOST 15 in the middle of 2013, a much longer period than earlier SPLOST referendum planning;

.

-Do our ‘approaching retirement” leaders really desire a personal legacy by having a General Obligation bond be part of the vote to allow them to build the courthouse before leaving office?

.

F. PLANNING:

.

-How much behind the scenes planning and politics have preceded this perceived rush for a new Courthouse?

.

-Do we want the same leaders planning the courthouse that located a $1-2 Million Farmington Fire Station on a single lane country road out of sight of taxpayers and hard to access?

- Many county roads remain subpar for the population, and age in which we live: a number need long-range planning and improvement: i. e.; Colham Ferry Rd is narrow and substandard; Hog Mountain Rd from Butler’s Crossing to US 441 is narrow and substandard; Hodges Mill Rd was built for farm-rural traffic of the 50’s; and there are many others throughout the county;

.

-It is hard to make mistakes on road and infrastructure improvements so they maylast longer than our “so-called 50 year projects”;

.

-SPLOST was created by the Legislature in the 80’s to help local governments provide for infrastructure and capital project needs but seems to many to have become a SLUSH FUND for local officials with large egos and lack of vision;

.

- Oconee County has considerable needs that rank higher in priority than a $ 25 Million Courthouse; i.e.Roads, Bridges, Water lines in areas needing more fire plugs and protection; expansion of sewer capacity;